you want to pay me? pay the kids? oh Michelle... education is NOT business.

I agree with William. The unions need to step it up in regards to preparing and keeping teachers "up" on new items education is requiring. They should not shut down ideas automatically just to try and preserve the status quo. I have felt that teaching unions should take on a "pipefitter's union" approach. If you are going to be in the union you need to meet high, not watered down union standards. Teaching unions are taking everyone and anyone in and not truly requiring members to participate in the union so that the union can have more members in turn more dues to run a system that has for the most part remained stagnant for some years. To be a union member in the construction industry many things must be done, and they are not scared of kicking out members that are not up to union par and let those individuals try and earn jobs outside the union. Teachers unions are leaving the reform up to their employers, school districts. What should be happening is unions taking care, and preparing good teachers. Adding content in the education debate, not on the constant defense. As well as be willing to say that we are proud to be union members because we know that all of our teachers in the union are fully prepared members carrying the full support and backing of the union. Union affiliated construction workers are proud to be in a union because they know what it means to be in the union that demands quality for the industry. They work hard for that backing, many teachers in America do not know why they are a part of unions because they do not see or feel their unions involvement with their career. Teachers union's need to start regulating!   

it's cool i like the font choice.

what's in a name? and what's it worth for you to have your name on that piece of paper? status cost. Should it? Are we really getting what we pay for?

when i was in grade school we had a piece of land in the back for this type of project. I was the only kid that wanted to do it though. i thought it was fun, because i didn't have a yard of my own, i lived in apts, so i would farm stuff after school, lettuce, and peppers it was fun. i remember my teacher, and dad helped me plant stuff and harvest things.if anything something like this can get kids outside and moving, away from this thing we call the computer.

I am an educator, and Iwill say this is one of the best written articles on the state of education I have ever read. You are right in saying that the fun of teaching and learning has/is/slowly dying in our public school system. To me NCLB has set up public schools and children to fail, so that school unions and communites can fail along with them. In you article; "Charters are quasi-public schools that receive public funding but don’t have to play by the same rules; they have more latitude than public schools, including the freedom to use different curricula, employ non-credentialed educators, change the school calendar, ban unions, and be selective in student enrollment." I have asked many people as to why Charters can "wipe" away the standards and all of the rules and regualtions to "start over" to run in the way they see fit...but public school are locked into this failing system. Why can't public school have the latitude to change as charter schools do. No one wants to answer my question. Charters are being used more and more to give public control of school back over to private interests. The big sham is that people think Charter schools are the greatest things ever right now...if you look more in dept into them they are not. Government does not want to pay for schooling any longer...and this is there answer. Pass the bucket off to some corporation that has a large P.R. budget. Have fun with that folks!  

i ask and recieve! thanks GOOD. Very interesting photo essay.

this was a great pic piece!